Rick Perry intends to use a speech in South Carolina Saturday to make clear that he's running for president, POLITICO has learned.

According to two sources familiar with the plan, the Texas governor will remove any doubt about his White House intentions during his appearance at a RedState conference in Charleston.

Continue ReadingIt's uncertain whether Saturday will mark a formal declaration, but Perry's decision to disclose his intentions the same day as the Ames straw poll—and then hours later make his first trip to New Hampshire— will send shockwaves through the race and upend whatever results come out of the straw poll.

Immediately following his speech in South Carolina, Perry will make his New Hampshire debut at a house party at the Portsmouth-area home of a state representative, Pamela Tucker, the Union Leader reported Monday. Tucker was among the Granite Staters who went to Texas last week to encourage Perry to run.

Perry is expected to head to Iowa in the days following his New Hampshire trek, too, POLITICO has learned.

This week, the Texan will continue the private meetings he's held in Austin for the last month. On Thursday, Perry will meet with a small group of national small business association CEOs to discuss job creation and his economic record.

Whether the Ames winner is Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty or someone else, they will immediately have to compete for Perry for attention in the aftermath of his kickoff, particularly given his plans to visit Iowa. The Texan is not on the straw poll ballot, but several Iowa operatives said the 527 group "Americans for Rick Perry," has been aggressively working GOP events to boost his write-in performance.

The Texan would immediately be a formidable figure in the race, appealing to conservatives hungering for more options—particularly in states where the GOP base is heavily conservative, like Iowa and South Carolina, Perry would have an opportunity to unite both tea party activists and more traditional party regulars who want a mix of conservatism and electability.

I'm sure this will make some folks happy, but I don't think I'll be one of them...mainly because of the Prayer Meeting he held this past weekend. Don't get me wrong, I don't see a problem with prayer meetings, I just don't like the idea of a Presidential candidate playing preacher too. And before some peeps get crazy, I felt the same way about Huckabee.

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August 8th, 2011, 2:46 pm

steensn

RIP Killer

Joined: June 26th, 2006, 1:03 pmPosts: 13429

Re: Rick Perry to make 2012 intentions clear Saturday

I obviously like a man with strong faith. But I didn't agree with Huckabee's presidential bid as he went from what he did as a governor to something different as a candidate for president. He played the party line guy and list my vote.

HOUSTON — Texas Gov. Rick Perry prayed with more than 20,000 worshipers at an all-day Christian gathering here — and while he talked about God, not the Oval Office, he repeatedly hit on the themes that would drive his potential presidential campaign.

Perry — who was introduced on giant TV screens simply as “Rick Perry, Austin, Texas” — opened with brief remarks at the gathering, called The Response. He read from scripture: passages from the books of Isaiah, Joel and Ephesians. He closed with a prayer.

“Father, our heart breaks for America,” Perry said, leading the crowd at Reliant Stadium in prayer. “We see discord at home, we see fear in the marketplace, we see anger in the halls of government. And as a nation, we have forgotten who made us, who protects us, who blesses us.

“And for that we cry out for your forgiveness,” he said.

Perry and his aides insist the event, which he conceived and organized, is strictly nonpolitical. But with Perry all but set to enter the 2012 presidential race — and with his top political aides, including New Hampshire-based consultant Dave Carney, gathered in Houston for the event — The Response has become Perry’s first step into the national political spotlight.

“Like all of you,” Perry told the crowd as he opened his remarks, “I Iove this country deeply. Thank you all for being here — indeed the only thing that you love more is the living Christ.”

The stated reasons for the prayer gathering — a “crisis” moment in America — also underscored the politics. “Right now, America is in crisis: We have been besieged by financial debt, terrorism and a multitude of natural disasters,” Perry wrote in a letter on the website for The Response. “As a nation, we must come together and call upon Jesus to guide us through unprecedented struggles and thank Him for the blessings of freedom we so richly enjoy.”

At the rally, Perry offered prayers for those who have been hurt by the recession. “Our hearts do break for those who suffer, those afflicted by the loss of loved ones the pain of addiction, the strife that they may find at home — those who have lost jobs, who have lost their homes, people who have lost hope,” he said.

The prayer gathering had over 8,000 registered attendees — a number that could have seemed small inside the 71,000-seat Reliant Stadium here, where the Texans’ NFL team plays.

But far more people showed up: While crowd estimates from the fire marshal were not immediately available, the 6,700-seat floor was full, and there were hundreds more standing in an open space in front of the stage. The doors opened at 8 a.m., but by 10:30 a.m., organizers had to open the previously closed upper decks to find more room.

They rose to their feet when Perry took the stage, cheering wildly when he hit a line in a passage from the Book of Joel: “Blow the trumpet in Zion!”

The crowd was diverse in race and age. English-language prayers were overlaid with a Spanish translation. People came with their families — a kids’ area was set up in the Jose Cuervo Cantina on the stadium’s south side — and teens and young adults came by themselves or with their churches. Many attendees brought well-worn Bibles stacked with notations or stowed in well-worn cases.

Perry spoke after a morning filled with Christian rock music and brief prayers from a variety of well-known Christian figures — some with controversial pasts. Set to speak later in the day was Cornerstone Church Pastor John Hagee, whose endorsement John McCain rejected in 2008 after Hagee made remarks disparaging Catholics and referring to the Holocaust as a divine plan.

Everyone knows who I'm voting for, but Rick Perry would be my second choice. He would absolutely destroy Obama on the jobs front and that should be the primary issue of the election. I forget the exact number, but Texas has created something like 40% of all jobs in the country over the past two years. How can Obama compete with that?

On the negative side, there are many things that the libtard media and Commie Democrats are gonna use against Perry. First, he used to be a Democrat, but I give him credit for coming to his senses. Also, despite it's jobs boom, Texas has added a lot of debt under Perry. He also isn't very strong on illegal immigration and there's some crony capitalism issues with him. Recently, they've even disclosed that he got poor grades in college. As for the religion thing, as an atheist, I don't care, so why should anyone else?

Yea, the libtards got their panties all in a bunch over that prayer thing. Somehow, I think they would approve if it was held at a mosque though.

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August 8th, 2011, 5:16 pm

steensn

RIP Killer

Joined: June 26th, 2006, 1:03 pmPosts: 13429

Re: Rick Perry to make 2012 intentions clear Saturday

It would not be PC to be against Muslims... though if that were the case the Republicans would be in an uproar. Both sides are hypocritical... though the Liberal a bit more as they claim they are "accepting" of all faiths.

The libs try to hang the separation of church and state as a reason Perry was wrong for doing this. The only separation (and there isn't one officially) was that the state can't interfere or influence religion. Not the other way around. Its good to promote the freedom of religion when its in their favor, but its wrong when its strengthens a potential candidate that could rival Obama.

When the mosque issue was front page news, didn't the Libs make a major media push to show every time Obama went to a Christian church? So the push to support Obama because he's a Christian doesn't apply when someone else acts like Christian?

The only difference is Obama claims to be private with his faith, while Perry is public about it. Was anyone forced to attend? Was anyone forced to believe in what he prayed? What makes it a bad thing? Beck's rally last August was an all-faith gathering and that was also blasted by the media. So is it because it was one faith getting together that you don't like, or the fact that religion gets public attention?

August 8th, 2011, 6:09 pm

TheRealWags

Megatron

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12534

Re: Rick Perry to make 2012 intentions clear Saturday

regularjoe12 wrote:

Quote:

I have a problem that he sponsored a Christian-only event.

honest question: why?

This answer applies only because he is wanting to become President, if he wasn't then this really wouldn't matter to me. Is that fair? Don't know, but I do know that I hold the person that is to be elected as POTUS to be more accountable than the rest of us. That being said, the answer is because afaik he didn't include all faiths and it was strictly Christian oriented, which IMO is not something a President should do. Had the event been presented with the idea of Americans coming together to pray/chant/talk/etc for America, now that would have been Presidential.

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August 8th, 2011, 9:22 pm

njroar

Team MVP

Joined: September 25th, 2007, 3:20 amPosts: 3262

Re: Rick Perry to make 2012 intentions clear Saturday

I'm still not seeing where it says it was a Christian-only event. Did they turn others away? Or did others not show up?

Quote:

“Faiths that have come together, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and all faiths are welcome here today around the idea of love and charity,” Jackson Lee told ABC News.

And that's Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who is as pure a liberal as you can get, so you can't claim it was Perry's people that put the spin on it. The Media leaving things out, is just as bad as telling lies.

August 9th, 2011, 12:03 am

TheRealWags

Megatron

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12534

Re: Rick Perry to make 2012 intentions clear Saturday

njroar wrote:

I'm still not seeing where it says it was a Christian-only event. Did they turn others away? Or did others not show up?

Quote:

“Faiths that have come together, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and all faiths are welcome here today around the idea of love and charity,” Jackson Lee told ABC News.

And that's Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who is as pure a liberal as you can get, so you can't claim it was Perry's people that put the spin on it. The Media leaving things out, is just as bad as telling lies.

From the article posted above:

Quote:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry prayed with more than 20,000 worshipers at an all-day Christian gathering here

From The Response website itself:

Quote:

Quote:

Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat does The Response believe?The Response is a non-denominational, apolitical Christian prayer meeting and has adopted the American Family Association statement of faith.

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

While it may say it is "non-denominational" its tenets/or "statement of faith" is decidedly Christian.

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August 9th, 2011, 12:11 am

WarEr4Christ

QB Coach - Brian Callahan

Joined: October 26th, 2005, 11:48 pmPosts: 3056Location: Elkhart, In.

Re: Rick Perry to make 2012 intentions clear Saturday

Wags,

I hope you can read this:

Why would a President who is a Christian, and lives by Christian ideals be a bad thing?

Didn't we have a thread discussion about how "Christians" tend to bring a set of moral beliefs into their lives, and therefore do things for the good of others? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they are the only one who live by a moral standard, but you probably find more per capita than any other religion. But that's just a guess on my part...

One thing I would love to caution everyone, Christian and Non-Christian, is to not put this man on a pedastal. He may have some issues that he's done, cronism I believe was one word, but he's a man. People have this gross misconception of Christians, that we are supposed to be perfect people, and its simple not true. I have my areas of weakness that I struggle with constantly, and I am so thankful that I believe there is grace for all who would believe and ask to receive it.

As a way of character assassination, the media will take well known religous figures of all Christian denominations and pick through their lives looking for that dirty little secret. For Palin, it was her daughters pregnancy, and a supposed affair by her husband. They literally raped her character based upon these things and no the "R" word is NOT to strong.

We all sin or make mistakes, we all fall short, just because a man is a Christian, doesn't make him perfect in any way. But I bet, if Governor Perry is serious about his faith, and this wasn't a grandstand event, he lives by a code of ethics and integrity that you don't see much of in Washington.

I've said it before, that people claimed that Bush lied about WMD's and he lied about the war, but I guarantee you that we've seen more lies, and more blatant attempts to separate Americans from their freedoms in 2.5 years than we ever did in 8.

Washington needs an enema, there are too many turds like Soros, Pelnazi, Harry gReid, Hitlery Clinton, and especially BO, floating around. It has become so obvious that they have dedicated platform of destroying the US economically, and common sense does not exist. Bring on a man with integrity, who's willing to admit his mistakes, and learn from them. We need a leader not a politburo!

_________________Acts 4:13, 1 Cor. 2:1-5, Rom. 12:1-2

August 9th, 2011, 8:39 am

TheRealWags

Megatron

Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12534

Re: Rick Perry to make 2012 intentions clear Saturday

WarEr4Christ wrote:

Wags,

I hope you can read this:

Why would a President who is a Christian, and lives by Christian ideals be a bad thing?

Didn't we have a thread discussion about how "Christians" tend to bring a set of moral beliefs into their lives, and therefore do things for the good of others? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they are the only one who live by a moral standard, but you probably find more per capita than any other religion. But that's just a guess on my part...

One thing I would love to caution everyone, Christian and Non-Christian, is to not put this man on a pedastal. He may have some issues that he's done, cronism I believe was one word, but he's a man. People have this gross misconception of Christians, that we are supposed to be perfect people, and its simple not true. I have my areas of weakness that I struggle with constantly, and I am so thankful that I believe there is grace for all who would believe and ask to receive it.

As a way of character assassination, the media will take well known religous figures of all Christian denominations and pick through their lives looking for that dirty little secret. For Palin, it was her daughters pregnancy, and a supposed affair by her husband. They literally raped her character based upon these things and no the "R" word is NOT to strong.

We all sin or make mistakes, we all fall short, just because a man is a Christian, doesn't make him perfect in any way. But I bet, if Governor Perry is serious about his faith, and this wasn't a grandstand event, he lives by a code of ethics and integrity that you don't see much of in Washington.

I've said it before, that people claimed that Bush lied about WMD's and he lied about the war, but I guarantee you that we've seen more lies, and more blatant attempts to separate Americans from their freedoms in 2.5 years than we ever did in 8.

Washington needs an enema, there are too many turds like Soros, Pelnazi, Harry gReid, Hitlery Clinton, and especially BO, floating around. It has become so obvious that they have dedicated platform of destroying the US economically, and common sense does not exist. Bring on a man with integrity, who's willing to admit his mistakes, and learn from them. We need a leader not a politburo!

Did I say being a Christian is a bad thing? No. So just what are you trying to accomplish with this post? I'm sorry, but I just don't understand the purpose of it.

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August 9th, 2011, 9:13 am

regularjoe12

Def. Coordinator – Teryl Austin

Joined: March 30th, 2006, 12:48 amPosts: 4211Location: Davison Mi

Re: Rick Perry to make 2012 intentions clear Saturday

TheRealWags wrote:

regularjoe12 wrote:

Quote:

I have a problem that he sponsored a Christian-only event.

honest question: why?

This answer applies only because he is wanting to become President, if he wasn't then this really wouldn't matter to me. Is that fair? Don't know, but I do know that I hold the person that is to be elected as POTUS to be more accountable than the rest of us. That being said, the answer is because afaik he didn't include all faiths and it was strictly Christian oriented, which IMO is not something a President should do. Had the event been presented with the idea of Americans coming together to pray/chant/talk/etc for America, now that would have been Presidential.

Ok so it's not that it was a christian event that bothered ya, it's because it was a kinda exclusive group? am I understanding you correctly? If so, thats something I can totally accept.